Kill it with email receipts

Transactional emails are opened at up to eight times the rate of promotional email according to Experian. Considering that most transactional emails lack any marketing value, this is a massive opportunity.

Receipts are a great place to start. If you're sending someone a receipt, it means the customer has already made a purchase. You've overcome a number of challenges to complete a sale. The receipt is an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with the customer.

You can't sell directly in a receipt, but here are few ways to make them more valuable:

Include a referral code

Offer a discount on the next purchase

Ask customers to follow you on Twitter, Facebook or your blog

Email marketing can drive real revenue for your business, but you've got to think bigger than blasts. Behavioral email is key to unlocking the hidden value in your customers and users.

Offer incentives

Let's face it, something for nothing is hardly reason to opt in to a newsletter. Provide incentive for opt-ins at the point of collection, whether by offering a unique discount or other clearly defined and tangible benefit; start the relationship off right and demonstrate your company's value from the very beginning.

Make sure your communications are to the point

Resist the temptation to pack everything under the sun into a single email. More than half of emails are read on a mobile device, so it's crucial that offers be succinct and to the point. Emails shouldn't overflow with primary, secondary, and tertiary calls to action. Know your audience, define an offer, and limit your desire to sell them everything!